Directed By: J.J. Abrams

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

MPAA Rating

PG-13

At CinemaCon 2013, Tim Nasson, publisher of Wild About Movies, had a chance to hear from Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucas Films, about her ideas for the upcoming big screen Star Wars movie. Here is what she had to say about Star Wars Episode 7 NOT being as secretive as many had anticipated it would be:

“We talk about that all the time. I think the whole issue of confidentiality is gonna be fascinating as we move into making the movie. If we’re shooting anything outside, it’s almost impossible to not have things end up on the Internet. So my feeling is, you need to embrace that, especially with the fans around something like Star Wars. You need to recognize they’re important to the process and acknowledge there are things you’re gonna want to make sure they get to know. So I think that’s something we’re going to monitor, pay attention to and think differently about.”

Star Wars VIII and Star Wars IX are coming to theaters in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

George Lucas sold rights to all of his Star Wars films and merchandise to Walt Disney Pictures in late October 2012 for $4 billion.

Star Wars Episode VII is an original story, not based on any pre-existing Star Wars books or other materials.

Harrison Ford has officially signed on to reprise one of the most iconic characters in sci-fi history.

Harrison Ford, who became famous playing Han Solo in the very first Star Wars movie, (and in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi), is returning as the Corellian smuggler with a heart of gold who reluctantly joins the Rebel Alliance to win the heart of a princess in Star Wars: Episode VII directed by J.J. Abrams.

John Williams, who has been nominated for 49 Oscars, including for scoring the 2013 Oscar nominee Lincoln, has officially signed on to compose the score for the seventh Star Wars big screen film.

John Williams won an Oscar for Best Original Score for the very first Star Wars movie in 1978. John Williams has also won Oscars for Best Original Score for Schindler’s List, E.T., Jaws and Fiddler On The Roof. John Williams received his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for the 1967 movie Valley Of The Dolls, which was written by the late film critic, Roger Ebert.

Spinoff movies, one featuring Yoda, the other featuring Han Solo, also arrive in theaters before 2020. Stay tuned to this page for constant Star Wars updates.